Talkin’ bout my Generation – Boomers, X, Y & beyond

There’s always discussions about generations, what generation are you (take the test), but increasingly when people talk about Generation Y, the main point is technology. Any generation embraces the technology of their era (radio, vinyl records, boom boxes, CDs, the internet), but it by no means is the only thing that defines them.

Many Boomers remember advertising with fondness, not many members of Gen X or Y would say the same. Many members of Gen X & Y want more work/life balance, as they’ve seen the costs paid by their parents. The survivors of the World War II Generation appreciate the simple things in life, like bombs not falling from the sky on a regular basis.

The first thing that defines any Generation is their perception of other Generations. As a member of Generation Y, I quote the Simpsons: I used to be with it, but then they changed what “it” was. Now, what I’m with isn’t it, and what’s “it” seems weird and scary to me. All Generations think the other Generations are weird and scary (even if it’s just a little bit), but they’re all just born of a different social environment.

Generations different to yours aren’t weird and scary, they’re just different. Hopefully all the generations can learn to collaborate (instead of wanting others to “fade away”), combining the collective wisdom of all generations, to solve problems that we all face together. How many friends do you have outside your own generation? Is that number really enough?

I’ll leave you with the generation-mashup, the Zimmers, talkin’ bout their g-generation.

A great turnout for Destra and Brad Howarth at The Domain

Brad Howarth and Domenic Carosa (CEO of Destra) drew quite a crowd at The Domain networking event in Melbourne, held at Digital Harbour in the Docklands. Attendees received a music CD from Destra and a copy of Australian Anthill magazine (Subscribe to Anthill for the secret bargain price here – thanks Rich).

Brad “Best Technology Industry Journalist” Howarth wrote an article in The Age which is firing up the local blogosphere. It’s web take 2.0 is creating a lot of discussion around whether Australian big business gets Web 2.0 (Brad’s full Aussie 2.0 list is here). One of my favourite quotes is from Mick Liubinskas at Tangler “So they keep chasing the users wherever they go, and the users are running away because they are sick of the corporates yelling at them”. As a Gen Y in the workforce, communication is clearly aimed at older generations. I’ve grown up as a consumer hearing the noise that is the corporate monologue, the same-again tv advertising, empty promises and not-so-hidden-agendas. This not only changes my behaviour as a consumer, it also changes what I want in communication in the workplace. I want two-way communication, input, rapid dissemination of news, subscriptions to news based on topic, a human voice, a giant repository of collective knowledge that can be searched… the list goes on. These technologies and techniques are native to me, part of how I get things done. I don’t fax, I don’t send letters and I hear blah blah blah when communication is inhuman and unnatural. Many older style companies are not connecting with their Gen X & Y employees, just as old media is not connecting with their Gen X & Y readers (if they have any). It’s a generation gap. (Rupert is one of the few who gets it)

The Global Geek Podcast recently asked Cameron Reilly “What motivates someone to walk away from the relative security of a six-figure-income corporate job to weather the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune that go with running a start-up?”. Cam posted If You Start Me Up… on Startup Stories,

Creating a startup is already enticing to Gen X & Y for the seemingly unlimited challenge and job satisfaction, but I increasingly wonder whether the human voice (Naked Conversations) is going to be a greater factor in job choice for the coming decades. Money is only useful in that it leads to greater freedom. If you have freedom already, what exactly is the money for?

In other news, Scouta has released Hicks (thanks, no one else was going to) and MODM #2 is on 7th June at Federation Square. Put it in your calendar, RSVP and subscribe to the MODM rss feed. All the cool kids will be there.

Why Aussie geeks should not support Kevin Rudd’s broadband plan

Geeks, techies, educators and innovators across Australia were excited to hear about Kevin Rudd’s plan for a high speed broadband optical fibre rollout to 98% of Australia. There is no doubt that Australia is a “broadband backwater”. The horror quotes from the Luddites of Australian politics, such as Ron Boswell’s “We’ve got adequate broadband for the people out there”, Helen Coonan’s “Internet users in most Australian capital cities should be happy with the speed of their broadband connection” and (my favourite, the biggest luddite in history), Richard Alston’s “Well for example, people will tell you that pornography is one of the major reasons why there’s been a high take-up rate in South Korea. I haven’t confirmed that at first instance but I’ve been there, I’ve looked at what’s happening.”, say it all. Our politicians don’t have a technical clue.
However, while I fully support the idea of optical fibre to 98% of Australia, it has to be funded and planned in a responsible manner. You may have read this little gem: “The Future Fund is full of money from telecommunications from the sale of Telstra, so in a way it’s not inappropriate that money is spent on telecommunications” from Democrats leader Lynn Allison. The origin of the money in the Future Fund is not the issue Lynn Allison, it’s what it’s been earmarked for. Labor cannot guarantee to cover public service superannuation liabilities, not if it’s going to be spending that money. There are no guarantees in investment. This is Superannuation money that people have been paying their whole lives. If it was my money, I would not want anyone spending it and promising they’ll pay it back by 2020. I doubt Kevin Rudd will be leaving his Superannuation in there until 2020, so he personally won’t be paying any price. This plan is a carrot dangled for the younger generation, who aren’t owed any money by the Future Fund. The Future Fund is not spending money, it’s a debt owed by the government that they have an obligation to pay. The Australian Government made a mistake a long time ago, by not putting aside money for their future superannuation obligations for retiring workers, just like General Motors. What do you think will happen if a large number of public servants don’t get the Superannuation they need for retirement? They’re going to be an additional drain on taxpayers in the welfare system. This money is not just for politicians, it’s for teachers, police, doctors, nurses and other staff working in the public sector, paid by the government. For Generations X & Y, this may mean your parents moving in with you when they’re no longer able to work, as they can’t afford housing without their Superannuation and welfare money will be limited with a reduced workforce. Don’t be fooled by this shiny offer, read the fine print. I want that dream broadband network too, I just don’t think this is the way to fund it.
We don’t just need faster broadband, we need a complete project plan for ongoing infrastructure building, maintenance and future upgrades. This is not the last time a communications network will require upgrades, how do they intend to pay for the next one?
Optical fibre is a great plan for Australia (we need Fibre To The Home (FTTH) not Fibre To The Node (FTTN), but stealing from the future to pay for the mistakes of the past doesn’t work. It’s how we built this broadband backwater in the first place, by cutting corners and hoping someone in the future will fix it. All Australian politicians need to use greater foresight in policy, 5 years, 10 years, 20 years, 50 years, 100 years, not just planning ahead until the next election. Each side doesn’t want to do too good a job, for fear a future opposition might take the credit. Get your bloody act together Labour and Liberals. Try working together to actually solve a problem for the good of the country, instead of wasting time name calling, chest beating and buggering around instead of actually getting things done.

Media, Political and Religious FUD – Fear, Uncertainty, Doubt – Controlling By Fear

Yet another news item about hate speech, the latest one being John Howard and the Catch The Fire ministry. This ministry appears to have a history of spreading the word of intolerance, but as there’s no transcript of John Howard’s speech and the entire article is based on speculation of what he might say or plans to say. This is a pretty shallow and inflammatory article – typical lack of integrity from the MSM (Main Stream Media), yet again. Thank god we have journalists, what would we do without them? Gerard McManus and Michael Harvey you should be ashamed of yourselves. Go home and apologise to your family and friends for inciting racial hatred, inciting fear and publishing material that belongs on Today Tonight or 3AW.

This article is a perfect example of a bigger issue that is not being covered by the MSM, mainly because they are one of the biggest culprits. The issue is FUD. Fear. Uncertainty. Doubt. If you are not familiar with this concept, it’s a marketing strategy, originally used by IBM to cast aspersions on their competitors. However since the terrorist attacks on America, it’s also been increasingly used by the MSM, political parties, governments and churches, as well as big corporates like pharmaceutical companies.

FUD is not always about misinformation, but it is using information as a weapon of fear to manipulate and control people, similar to an armed bank robbery, people who are afraid or uncertain are easier to control.

Everyone needs to be a little more skeptical about the use of FUD by political and religious groups (frankly, most of us in Generation X & Y expect it from corporates, but the use of FUD by politicians has surged since the attacks on World Trade Center). The agenda of any group trying to control people through fear is a dangerous one. Saddam Hussein used this very weapon against his own people, although he didn’t hide it as FUD.

If you find yourself experiencing fear, uncertainty or doubting a previous belief that you had, consider the source of this FUD feeling, and whether that source will receive a personal gain from your fearful, uncertain or doubting state. Today Tonight, 3AW, Beauty & The Beast, there are so many of these shows that drive ratings based on fear, misinformation, divisive statements and repugnant social behaviour. The purpose of fear in evolution is to incite reaction. Media executives have discovered this works really well for ratings, regardless of the impact this has on society. Many of the hosts of these shows do not believe the “controversial” things they say, they’re just whoring for ratings, exploiting the ignorance of their audience for a few bucks in their pocket and five minutes of fame.

Societies living in fear are no longer functioning to their full potential. Fear is crippling to productivity, confidence and mental serenity.

For the next week, count the number of FUD media experiences you have, it may surprise you.

Anousheh Ansari – Inspiration for the Y Generation

Anousheh Ansari – First Blogger In Space
No posts, been too busy reading the SpaceBlog

I wanted to also use this trip to inspire and promote interest in space exploration and other sciences and technology for our youth, because I believe that’s very necessary for the future of our race.
– Anousheh Ansari